Share This

Robert Storey, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Sheffield's Department of Cardiovascular Science, has presented findings that show that one in five deaths in the year following a heart attack could be prevented if a new drug, ticagrelor, was used instead of the standard treatment, clopidogrel.

Related Articles

Professor Storey's latest findings were presented at the British Cardiovascular Society annual scientific conference in Manchester on June 13, 2011.

Professor Storey has led UK investigations of ticagrelor and was a member of the international committee that conducted the PLATO study, a trial of over 18 thousand patients in over 40 countries around the world. The results of the PLATO study were first presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in 2009, showing that ticagrelor was more effective for heart attack patients than clopidogrel in reducing death and recurrent heart attack.

A new analysis of the PLATO study presented this year at the American College of Cardiology showed that ticagrelor is just as effective at reducing deaths in patients over the age of 75 as in younger patients. Professor Storey commented: "Our new findings really highlight the universal applicability of the treatment."

Ticagrelor was made available in the UK in December 2010 but has not yet been adopted across most of the UK due to cost concerns. Clopidogrel has a very low cost as it is available in generic forms, whereas ticagrelor is more expensive at around £55 per month. However, the excess drug cost of ticagrelor is offset to some extent by its greater effectiveness which reduces the need for heart operations.

Professor Storey commented: "Many people are dying avoidably in the year after having a heart attack due to delays introducing this new treatment. These new findings provide yet further evidence in support of making the drug available to patients in the UK. We're pleased that the Scottish Medicine Consortium recently approved ticagrelor, on the basis that the initial expense of the drug is offset to a significant extent by the resultant savings, such as reduced need for procedures. In England, a verdict from NICE is awaited but final guidance is not expected until October."

One of the problems with clopidogrel is that about a quarter of people in the UK have a genetic variant that reduces the effect of the drug and are at greater risk. A sub-study of the PLATO trial was published in the Lancet confirming that patients treated with clopidogrel, who have such a genetic variant, have a slightly higher risk in the first month following heart attack but ticagrelor is not affected by this variant and is still more effective than clopidogrel, regardless of a patient's genetic make-up.

A common side-effect of ticagrelor is a sense of breathlessness which is usually mild and well-tolerated. Professor Storey presented data at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in 2010 showing that even patients who develop this side-effect still seem to have the reduced mortality risk compared to clopidogrel-treated patients. Another analysis led by Professor Storey showed that patients who develop breathlessness on ticagrelor do not show any problems on heart or lung tests, providing reassurance about the benign nature of ticagrelor-related breathlessness.

Professor Storey has been involved with the development of ticagrelor and related drugs for the past 15 years. 90 patients from Sheffield, with acute coronary syndrome, were recruited for the PLATO trial, which involved over 18,000 cardiac patients worldwide. One of the questions that is currently unanswered is whether continuing ticagrelor beyond 1 year after a heart attack will lead to continued benefit. This question will be addressed by the PEGASUS study which has recently started in the UK and many other countries, recruiting patients who are within 2 years of completing their one year course of treatment following a heart attack.

Professor Storey commented: "PEGASUS is an exciting study that will recruit 21,000 patients around the world, looking at whether ticagrelor added to aspirin is more effective at preventing problems related to clotting in the arteries than the standard anti-clotting treatment of aspirin only. Another study (ATLANTIC) planned to start in the next few months will also assess whether it is more effective to treat patients with full-blown heart attack with ticagrelor in the ambulance rather than wait until patients arrive at the hospital to have the blocked artery opened by balloon angioplasty."

University of Sheffield. "One in five heart-attack deaths could be prevented with new drug, findings show." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 June 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613103817.htm>.

University of Sheffield. (2011, June 13). One in five heart-attack deaths could be prevented with new drug, findings show. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613103817.htm

University of Sheffield. "One in five heart-attack deaths could be prevented with new drug, findings show." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613103817.htm (accessed March 3, 2015).

More From ScienceDaily

More Health & Medicine News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — No significant change in home habits of smokers have been observed in the aftermath of a ban on smoking in public spaces, researchers report. Greater inspiration to kick the habit likely comes from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Heart function has been associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease through a new study. Participants with decreased heart function, measured by cardiac index, were two to ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Gastric bypass and similar stomach-shrinking surgeries are a popular option for obese patients looking to lose weight or treat type 2 diabetes. While the surgeries have been linked to a decreased ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a new study reveals that dietary ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Twice as many children born to mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy were diagnosed with asthma by age 3 than children born to mothers who didn’t take prenatal antibiotics, a new study has ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Pediatric otolaryngologists and surgeons are concerned with parents getting the wrong message regarding the safety/desirability of letting babies and young children eat peanuts to prevent them from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Why do people shake hands? A new study suggests one of the reasons for this ancient custom may be to check out each other's odors. Even if we are not consciously aware of this, handshaking may ... full story

Featured Videos

Mom Triumphs Over Tragedy, Helps Other Families

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — After her son, Dax, died from a rare form of leukemia, Julie Locke decided to give back to the doctors at St. Jude Children&apos;s Research Hospital who tried to save his life. She raised $1.6M to help other patients and their families. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Woman Convicted of Poisoning Son

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A woman who blogged for years about her son&apos;s constant health woes was convicted Monday of poisoning him to death by force-feeding heavy concentrations of sodium through his stomach tube. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Related Stories

Nov. 18, 2014 — Ticagrelor halves risks of stents blocking with blood clots for people suffering from heart attacks, research concludes. A study of 18,000 patients shows that the cost-effective drug could prevent ... full story

Oct. 15, 2013 — Scientists have discovered ground breaking clues as to how the pioneering heart drug ticagrelor might reduce the risk of dying following a heart attack, in comparison to previous standard ... full story

Mar. 26, 2012 — New research shows that the use of ticagrelor not only reduces the time to a first cardiovascular event (the metric used in most trials) but also significantly reduces the time to a second ... full story

June 27, 2011 — When taken with higher doses of aspirin (more than 300 milligrams), the experimental antiplatelet drug ticagrelor was associated with worse outcomes than the standard drug, clopidogrel, but the ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.